A Croydon nursery has been rated inadequate by Ofsted after mould and damp was found inside the premises, with inspectors raising concerns over children’s health and safety.

Little Blessings Childcare and Education, on Hermitage Lane, in Woodside, was rated inadequate in all areas assessed by the education watchdog after it was inspected on March 19.

The nursery, which was previously rated as requires improvement after an inspection in June last year, was this time criticised by Ofsted for not ensuring “children's health and safety needs are met".

In a report published on April 13, Ofsted inspectors said: “The provider does not take all reasonable steps to ensure that the premises are risk assessed well enough to ensure children's health and safety needs are met, which places children at risk.”

“Steps to reduce or remove mould and the risk of damp have not been taken to ensure children's basic health and welfare needs are met.”

The nursery, which has 20 children on its roll and employs nine members of staff, is one of three Little Blessings nurseries in Croydon, with others located in South Norwood, on Pickering Gardens, and in South Croydon, on Brighton Road.

The report said: “For example, as children fill a saucepan with sand and rice, staff tell them to count as they fill the saucepan. When they do not do this, staff take the pan away and tip the sand and rice back into the tray, which affects children's self-esteem.

The nursery has been rated as inadequate by Ofsted (Image: David Cook)

“Staff do not do enough to encourage children to feel valued or respected, and practice does not effectively support children's confidence, or encourage positive behaviour.”

Ofsted went on to criticise the “weakness in teaching” at the nursery, before adding “children are not challenged or motivated to learn”.

Because of this, according to the report, children are not sufficiently well prepared for the next stages of their learning and for starting school.